


The Light Within The Darknes

by Vayentha



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Ghosts, Homophobia, I think it's good, Idk if the ending is good or bad, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 19:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17587358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vayentha/pseuds/Vayentha
Summary: At the east of the kingdom of Yeres spreads a forest, dark and unexplored. Nobody dares go near it anymore, let alone enter and investigate. Those who have passed whisper with fear in their eyes about the screaming that can be heard in the darkness hidden by the trees. Gut-wrenching screaming, like the moaning of a wounded beast, that makes the hair on the back of one's neck stand up. Few dared explore the Dark Woods and nobody came back but one.This is the story of how two young boys traumatised by the cruel and unfair society were brave for each other and found the peace they both deserved, each one in the form he needed it.





	The Light Within The Darknes

**Author's Note:**

> Homophobia & character death TWs

At the east of the kingdom of Yeres spreads a forest, dark and unexplored. Nobody dares go near it anymore, let alone enter and investigate. Those who have passed whisper with fear in their eyes about the screaming that can be heard in the darkness hidden by the trees. Gut-wrenching screaming, like the moaning of a wounded beast, that makes the hair on the back of one's neck stand up. Few dared explore the Dark Woods and nobody came back but one.

Jens used to listen to his nana's stories since he was small. She grew up in the village next to the Dark Woods, before the mayor burnt it to the ground, and she knew first hand of the things that people usually heard from others. And with these stories she raised Jens. Growing up, he followed his father's steps and became a knight. In time his reputation spread from village to village, reaching every corner of the twelve kingdoms. He fought dragons and chimeras, he tricked many of the fae folk, killed ghouls, saved countless lives and never, not even once, hesitated, no matter how afraid he was.

When everybody knew his name, when the monsters he defeated became more than the golden coins in the king's safe, when his sight alone inspired optimism in people's hearts, then he decided to follow his dreams and dare do what he wanted since he was young. Everyone tried to stop him, but he'd made up his mind. He took with him his favorite sword, his strongest axe and his most flexible bow, and headed east.

Ten years had passed since he was last seen when he appeared in the front door of his house. He looked wearied, his skin paler than that of a dying man, but he hadn't aged one day. His family welcomed him tearfully, hugged him, kissed him, and he let them, looking forward, clenching his jaw, not returning any of the displays of affection.

He quit his job as a knight and stayed at his home. If someone looked at him from a distance, they could believe that he wasn't affected by his journey at all. But if they neared him and looked into his eyes, they'd see the pain he carried in his soul, the void look he always had, the weight he carried, that grew heavier with each day that passed

At night one could hear screaming coming from his house, similar to those of the Dark Woods. He woke up in the middle of the night form nightmares and cried woefully, but never told anyone about his dreams. When he was asked, he shook his head and cried more.

He lasted less than a month. Those who saw him, said he was heading east. The last village before the Dark Woods tried to stop him, but it was like trying to restrain an ocean with a rope. Nobody followed him; they all feared more than they wanted to help. After that, nobody saw him again.

Centuries passed and Jens' stories became legends. Nobody was sure anymore if what was being said really had happened, or if it was just a tale that nannies tell to children. Irvan's blue eyes had opened wide the first time he heard of the great knight's tales, and he felt admiration, excitement and a feeling he didn't understand until years later.

Irvan grew up with Bash. Their mothers were old friends and lived in neighboring houses, so the two boys were together every day. They spent their days at the river, reenacting their hero's, Jens', fights. Then they sat on the grass and devised their plan to fulfil their common dream and become knights.

A summer morning they'd gone to swim at the river. It seemed like an ordinary day, no different than any of the ones of the fourteen summers they'd passed together, but it wasn't. Bash decided to swim while Irvan laid on the soft grass and read his book. He was so absorbed in reading, he almost flew when his friend called his name. He sat up and looked towards the water. Bash was looking at him, smiling, and his eyes shone like ambers. He seemed to be the only thing around Irvan being hit by the sunlight, and he felt his heart stop for a moment, and froze, unable to do anything but stare.

Since then, something changed inside him. The world was brighter, and he felt a knot in his stomach whenever he saw Bash. One night, they visited the woods to watch the stars and Bash leaned towards him and kissed him. This was the first time the knot disappeared and filled him with warmth so intense, it made him want to cry.

They knew the world saw this relationship as a filthy sin, but they didn't care because they were each other's world. They spent years like that, keeping their relationship secret, knowing the words wouldn't reveal a thing. The first night they spent together was under the stars, and the harmony of the night sky reflected the one they felt in their souls.

It couldn't last forever, they both knew; but none of them had thought it would end so soon, so abruptly. A few days before his nineteenth birthday, Irvan woke up to an acute pain on his check. He hopped out of bed and, through the sleep's haze, managed to make out his father. His mother was behind him, by his door, crying, and trying to hold back her husband.

"My son!" he screamed. "My son's a fag!". A sob escaped his mother's throat, and Irvan froze. As his father started punching him, his mother tried to grab his hand. "Let me go, woman!" he cried and hit her, throwing her back. "It's your fault!" he screamed again and turned to face her. She was on the floor, crying and sobbing, covering her face with her arm. "If he never met your friend's boy, cursed be them both, he'd never had turned into this!".

Irvan didn't wait to hear more. He had to go as soon as possible. Without losing any time, he opened the window and jumped out. He rolled on the roof, jumped on the ground and ran towards Bash's house.

"Stop! Stop!". The cries of Bash's mother pierced his ears. "He's already deadn" she screamed, sobbing, "stop!".

Irvan felt his legs give up, and fell on his knees. He's already dead. He killed Bash. Just like his own father would kill him. Bash is dead. He felt nauseous and felt the knot back in his guts, tighter than ever.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder, but didn't so much as flinch.

"What are you doing?! Stand up! Leave! Father is coming!". His sister's voice seemed far away. "You have to go, Irvan, please!" she kept talking, trying to help him back on his feet. "Bash wouldn't want you to die like that! I don't want you to die like that!". She put her hands under his arms, pulled him up, and turned him around to face her. "I love you," she told him, holding his face between her hands. He blinked a few times, unable to process what he was hearing. "I love you. And it pains me that the world is as it is, it pains me that Bash was killed, and it will pain me if you die, so, please, don't! Run, Irvan! Save yourself!". She let go of him and walked back a few steps. "Run!".

It felt like someone turned on a switch. He made a few steps looking at his sister, and then run east, his sister's tear-filled blue eyes the only thing on his mind.

He didn't feel his legs and every breath hurt, but he kept on going. He didn't look back not even once, he just kept running, not knowing where he was heading towards, the only thing in his mind being escaping.

"Let's go," Bash had told him. "We can go north, build a house in the woods, grow our own crops, our own animals. We can spend the rest of our lives together, without the need to hide"

He woke up on the edge of a road. His eyes and cheeks felt swollen, and his chest ached. He stood up and started running again. He knew he couldn't run from his thoughts, but he could delay them.

He went on for days, stopping only when he was extremely fatigued or found water and food. He reached the Dark Woods without noticing. He gazed at it. It didn't seem as scary as the stories cut it out to be. It reminded him of the woods near his house, his and Bash's woods, and this thought came with a stinging at his heart. He took a shaky breath and moved forward. It felt so peculiar and unexpected that this would be the way in which he'd follow Jens' steps.

Each step he took reminded him more and more of Bash. His pace became slower, until he fell on the ground. He held his head between his hands and screamed as loud as he could. A flock of birds flew away scared. Almost as soon as he stopped screaming, another one answered his own, and he screamed again. He screamed until he couldn't anymore, until he could taste blood with each and every breath he took. Then he laid down, hugged his feet and started crying.

The screaming carried on, but it didn't frighten him. The sound became more and more loud, until he felt a presence and opened his eyes. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked. In front of him stood a boy about his age, so wet that the water was flowing continuously on him. His skin was white, almost transparent, and had a weird glow to it. His eyes were the color of the ice, and his long black hair seemed to float on the air. His mouth was open, he was the one screaming. Irvan looked into the boy's eyes and saw the pain he was feeling. Without giving it a second thought, he stood up and hugged him. He hugged him with every ounce of his strength, not knowing if he did this for the boy or himself. A few moments passed before he reacted, but eventually he wrapped his hands around Irvan and quietened.

Suddenly, he felt an acute pain in his lungs. He opened his eyes, but didn't see the woods. All he could see was water. He was immerged in water, singing deeper and deeper. He tried to swim, but a weight tied on his feet was dragging him down, to the bottom of the lake. Above, on the surface, he could make out a face, distorted by the water. He started to feel dizzy, and with a convulsive breath he couldn't hold back, he inhaled water. He felt his lungs and his stomach burn, and then nothing.

He drew back from the boy, breathing heavily and looked in his eyes with fear. He screamed again. Irvan remembered vividly the feeling of drowning, but he was alright. He placed his hand on his chest and tried to take deep breaths.

"You're dead," he hoarsely stated more than asked the boy. "You were murdered," he whispered, his voice breaking and his eyes filling with tears once more, as Bash's smile came to his mind. The boy stopped screaming once more and nodded. He put his hand out for Irvan to take. As soon as Irvan reached him, the whole forest was lightened.

"Allard!". He turned back, where the voice came from. Rick had climber a tree again. "Come on! I can see deer form here!". The boy –Allard– run there and climbed the tree with him. He sit next to Rick and hugged him. "Look at 'em! Ain't they beautiful?"

"Yes, they are," he whispered and stroked Rick's back. Rick looked at him, kissed his cheek and rested his head on his shoulder.

Allard let go of his hand and the woods around him became dim once more.

"You... you... loved him" he whispered between sobs, "and... and they... they killed you for it!".

Allard nodded yes.

"I-" he tried to go on, but a wave of cough stopped him. "I love someone. And he... he was... he was killed, because, because he loved me back," he said, his voice breaking and his eyes once more filling with tears. "My, my father tried to kill me too, but I ran away".

They looked at each other, Irvan trying to get ahold of himself.

"What- do you know what happened to Rick?"

Allard nodded no, and he seemed as sad as Irvan felt.

"Can I do anything to help you?"

He opened his mouth and another scream emerged. He grabbed Irvan's hand and clenched it. Irvan felt the pain and hatred Allard was feeling and the only difference from his own emotions was the magnitude. He felt the despair and immense sadness, the agony of not knowing what had happened to his beloved. Pain was what had kept him here, when all he wanted was to go. Allard let go of his hand, and Irvan knew what to do. He started running once more, only this time he knew exactly where he was going. When he reached the lake, he grabbed a sharp stone, fell in the water without any hesitation and swam to the bottom. After a while, he saw what he was looking for. The only thing left from Allard was his skeleton. He cut the rope, collected the bones and swam up. Allard was waiting for him on the surface. He left the bones on the shore and went to gather wood. He started a fire, sat by it, and when the bones dried, he threw them in. Next to him, Allard started emitting a red light and looked at him smiling.

"Take care of Bash for me," said Irvan, as steadily as he could, as Allard's shape disappeared. Allard nodded yes, and mouthed a "thank you," before he left the world of the living forever.


End file.
